Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to an in vivo motion tracking device and an in vivo motion tracking method for tracking a focused portion moving inside a living body.
Description of Related Art
Conventionally, an in vivo motion tracking device that tracks a focused part moving almost periodically inside a living body in a living body image acquired by imaging a living body structure is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). In the in vivo motion tracking device described in Patent Document 1, a characteristic information learning unit learns characteristic information representing characteristics of a living body image inside a focused area corresponding to a focused part using the living body image in a focused part motion period preceding this tracking process and generates tracking characteristic information. A tracking processing unit acquires the position of a focused part by searching a focused area on the basis of tracking characteristic information in a living body image that changes in time. In addition, a reference setting means sets a reference focused area at a position that is a reference position on a trajectory of the focused area. A characteristic information generating means extracts reference characteristic information that is characteristic information of the inside of the reference focused area, acquires a trajectory by tracking a focused area according to the reference characteristic information, and acquires tracking characteristic information in association with a position on the trajectory using the characteristic information extracted from the tracked focused area.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2016-158890
However, when the in vivo motion tracking device described in Patent Document 1 is used, for example, when an operator such as a doctor or an inspection technician tracks a focused part (tracking target), it is necessary for the operator to operate an input unit (for example, a keyboard, a pointing device, or the like) and designate a reference focused area on a living body image while viewing the living body image, for example, displayed on a display unit. In such a case, the operator needs to select reference characteristic information that is appropriate for tracking in which the characteristics of the focused area appropriately appear. In more detail, at a timing at which an image pattern that is appropriate for tracking a focused part appears in an ultrasonic image, the operator needs to set an image area including the image pattern as a reference focused area.
In other words, when the in vivo motion tracking device described in Patent Document 1 is used, the operator needs to manually perform a mapping operation of a tracking target position. In addition, when the in vivo motion tracking device described in Patent Document 1 is used, since the mapping operation of the tracking target position is manually performed by the operator, the operator performs only a tracking target position determining process for a small amount of data and cannot perform a fast tracking target position determining process of a large amount of data.